Heat in Washington

Events

159

Deaths

6

Injuries

20

Damage

None recorded

• Heat in Washington, May 17, 20082 deaths · 14 injured · 1 eventWestern Washington had its first hot spell of the year that followed below normal spring temperatures. So the heat was quite a sharp contrast. In addition, the heat helped push mountain snow melt streams higher (below flood levels) with swift running and cold water temperatures.
• Heat in Washington, June 7 to 9, 20151 death · 1 injured · 1 eventAn unseasonably strong upper level ridge of high pressure resulted in hot temperatures early in June where high temperatures were around 20 degrees higher than the seasonal normals.
• Heat in Washington, July 19, 20051 death · 1 eventExcessive heat in the Yakima Valley contribued to one heat-related fatality near the town of Moxee. The high temperature at the Yakima Airport on this day was 99 degrees.
• Heat in Washington, April 19, 20161 death · 1 eventDuring a period of unseasonably warm weather, 17-year-old Jeramiah Smith swimming across the Green River in Auburn with six friends had trouble and then went under in the cold river water.
• Heat in Washington, May 27, 20171 death · 1 eventRidge of high pressure brought a couple days of warm weather. While air temperatures were warm, river and lake temperatures were still cold, leading to one drowning near Vancouver in Clark County.
• Heat in Washington, August 1 to 10, 20175 injured · 1 eventAn extended period of unseasonably hot weather impacted Western Washington from the 1st through the 10th of the month. A male berry picker at a farm 1 mile east of Sumas in Whatcom County fell ill on the 3rd and later died. At least 5 other pickers were treated for dehydration.
• Heat in Washington, May 12 to 16, 202320 eventsA strong ridge of high pressure brought well above normal temperatures to Western Washington, with a period of high temperatures in the upper 80s to low 90s. Many locations broke temperature records during this period.
• Heat in Washington, June 26 to 30, 202116 eventsA 600dm ridge of high pressure centered over the Desert Southwest in mid-June retrograded over to the West Coast/East-Central Pacific Ocean by the start of the 3rd week of June.
• Excessive Heat and Heat in Washington, October 13 to 16, 202212 eventsUpper-level ridging over the area brought unseasonably warm and dry conditions over a extended period of time.
• Heat in Washington, December 25 to 31, 202311 eventsA series of warm fronts brushing the region brought a period of well above normal temperatures to the region along with several record high temperatures.
• Heat in Washington, August 11 to 14, 202110 eventsA strong upper level ridge of high pressure began to build into the region around August 11, remaining in place through August 13 before pushing eastward.
• Flood and Heat in Washington, December 4 to 6, 202310 eventsAn atmospheric river event brought flooding, record breaking rainfall, and record high temperatures to Western Washington.
• Heat in Washington, March 15 to 16, 202410 eventsHigh pressure built over the Pacific Northwest for a big period of warmer and drier conditions - with the warmest temperatures of the year so far in the calendar year.
• Heat in Washington, July 10 to 14, 20028 eventsA record breaking heat wave shattered many daily record high temperatures across the state. Some of the warmest locations include Prosser with 111 degrees, Walla Walla with 110 degrees, and Sunnyside with 109 degrees.
• Heat in Washington, July 21 to 24, 20068 eventsDaily maximum temperatures between 100 and 113 degrees were observed at lower elevations and 90 to 100 degrees at elevations up to 3500 feet. Several people were treated for heat illness.
• Heat in Washington, July 20 to 24, 20067 eventsAn unusually strong high pressure ridge brought several days of extremely hot and humid days with some record high temperatures. An Excessive Heat Warning was issued the afternoon of July 20th, and persisted through July 24th.
• Heat in Washington, August 17 to 18, 20226 eventsHigh pressure centered over the Desert Southwest expanded over the Pacific Northwest bringing a brief hot spell to the area.
• Heat in Washington, October 6 to 7, 20236 eventsPersistent upper level ridging over Western Washington lead to record warmth during October, which is usually one of the cooler/wetter months.
• Heat in Washington, July 28 to 31, 20205 eventsA ridge of high pressure was situated over the inland Northwest from 7/28-7/31, resulting in many record high temperatures.
• Heat in Washington, July 6 to 8, 20245 eventsA long stretch of hot temperatures across western Washington caused numerous records to broken during the beginning of July.
• Heat in Washington, August 25 to 29, 20224 eventsAnother period of very warm weather affected Western Washington at the end of August, helping set a few new record maximum temperatures. In general, daytime high temperatures ranged from the mid 80s to low 90s for the interior lowlands and mountain valleys; 70s for the coast.
• Heat in Washington, August 7 to 8, 20223 eventsStrong high pressure expanded into the region bringing a very warm air mass. High temperatures peaked near 100 degrees on the 7th in portions of Southwest Washington and through the Columbia River Gorge.
• Heat in Washington, September 26, 20223 eventsAn upper level ridge brought record heat area wide in late September.
• Heat in Washington, September 10, 20223 eventsAn upper level ridge brought warm temperatures region wide for the first half of September. This resulted in record high temperatures set on September 10th.
• Heat in Washington, December 15 to 18, 20233 eventsA ridge of high pressure and low level offshore flow produced record high temperatures on the North Washington coast.

Heat everywhereEvery kind of event in Washington

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.